Machine for canceling and registering letters



2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

P. W. THAYER. MACHINE FOB, GANGELING AND REGISTERING LETTERS.

No. 583,954. Patented June 8,1897.

lFNlIT CALLED FOR INTER MY! RETURN TO DRYTONJ. 3.

INVENTDR wwwzssaa:

% 9/4? W K 37 r ATTORNEY:

I UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

- FRANCIS w. .THAYER, or DAYTON, 01n

- MACHiNE FOR-CANCELlNGAND asci'sTsnme LETTERS.

- SPECIFICATION forming part/of Letters Patent No. 583,954, dated June8, 1897. Application filed September 4, 1896. Serial N0. 6Q4,907. (Nomodel.)

. ton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in'lllachines for Canceling andRegistering Letters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the-same,reference being the accompanying drawings, and to form apart of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in letter or mail boxes. I I

The invention has for its object to; provide a mailing-box having meansfor simultaneously canceling the stamp and stamping upon the envelop thename of the mailing-point, the date of mailing,'and the time ofcollection, the entire operation being performed when the letter isdelivered to the box, as will hereinafter be more fully described inconnection with the accompanying drawings, of which- 'Figures 1 and 2are front and side elevations, respectively, of the box. Figs. 3 and ireference-characters a The former is are front and side elevations,respectively, of

the recording and timing mechanism removed i from the box. Fig. 5 is atop view of the impressi'orrlever detached. Figs. 6 and '7 are front andside elevations, respectively, of the cancelling plate. Fig. 8 is alower end-view of the canceling and. printing plates assembled. Fig. 9isa sideelevation of the printing-plates. Fig. 10 is a view of the devicefor indicating the time of opening the box by the collector. l igQll isthe front of a letter as itappears after takenout of the box by thecollector. I

Referringin detail to the inven t-ion, similar indicate correspondingparts in the several views. I 1 designates the box or inclosingcase,-l1avin g an end door 2 and mailing-slots 3 and 4. for thereception of letters exclusively, and adjacent to it is located themechanism for canceling and stamping the letters asthey are placed inthe box. This the journals of a roller 6 and the journals of an upperroller 7. Thelatter roller has springs 7 above its journals that applypressure thereto. The space between these rollers is sufi'icient topermit a letter to pass, and said gj" space, when the rollers are inposition,.is in line with the slot3.

B is a gear-wheel on anendof'roller 6, and

9 is a second gear that meshes therewith and drives roller 6. The gear 9is driven in any suitable Way, preferably by clock mechanism located ina convenient position, as per 10.

11 designates a cancelirig-plate, the lower portion of which comes incontact with the stamp and cancels it. The portion 12 of said canccling-plate has an excess of weight to return the plates back to-anoperative position after the passage of each letter-that is to say, whenthe plates are pushed in on their pivots by of the part 12 will returnsaid plates toth'eir former position with the type again-inposition toimprint.

13 is an integral or attached bar projecting at aright angle from theopposite end of the plate 11.

14,14, and 14* designate,respectively,typebearing plates for imprintingthe name of the mailing-place, the date of mailing, and the time ofcollection. These plates occupy the ceiling-plate and the bar 13. Thetype are placed in an opening in the plates and are maintained in anoperative position by springs 15, that press them tightly together. 16designates an ink-ribbon that is passed over the face of the plates andis secured in notches 17 in the edges of the plates. The

, canceling and type plates are mounted on the endof an arbor 18, whichis journaled in the supporting plate or frame 5. The openings for thejournals are somewhatlarger than said journals in order that the arbormay slightly yield against the passage of a letter the weight thepressure of springs 19,that' space between the inner edge 11 of thecanpress downwardly against said journals and are mounted in thejournal-openings.

2O designates a wire guide secured to a side of theframe 5 andprojecting downwardly and terminating parallel with the rollers. Thehorizontal part of this guide lis just above the opening between therollers, and its function is to direct downwardly the smallertlldesignates an angular wire that is pit oted on the inside of thefront of the box. One end 92 of this wirelics in'thc path of a lug 33 onthe lower end of the type-plate 14, and the other end 24: is pointed andprojects at a right angle in contact with the time-dial of the clock,constructed of any material. susceptible of an impression, such aspastcboard, and a new one ispla'ced on the clock on each collection ofthe mail. The movement otthe type-pla tes caused by the insertion ofaletter will actuate the wire 21 and cause the end time that a letterhas been passed into the box. In Figs. 1 and 10 there is shown a devicefor indicating when the box has been opened by the collector andconsisting of a lever 25, having its fulcrum at 26 on a convenient part.The outer end 27 of this lever rests on a pin 28 on the interior of thedoor 2, While the inner end :29 is inclose proximity to the face of thetime-dial. As said door is opened theniovc ncnt of the pin 2 raises saidlever on its fulcruni and causes the end, '2'.) to impact with the dialand make an indentation thereon The closing'of the door will return saidlever to its normal position. The type indicating the" place wheretheletters are mailed are permanent. Those indicatingthe dateand time'arcchanged at the proper times by the collector-the former once a day, the

latter after each collection is made.

' In Fig. 3, 3O designates a letter passing below the plates and ashaving moved to a position where the type-plates-arc making animpression as shown in Fig. 3. The dial is it to make. asliortindentation on the'dial, showing each,

The plates have moved from the position in dotted lines. When the,letter shall have passed entirely through and is deposited in the box,the plates will resume their former positions with the canceling portionof the plate over the roller 6. The weight of said canceling portion ofthe plate is sutti- 'cient to cause the plates to return until the saidportion reaches the center of gravity, whiclris above the roller (3.

Having described lily-invention, I claim- 1. Ina mail-box, thecombination of rollers mounted on the interior of said box adjacent tothe slot through which the letters are inserted, a cancelingrplate and aseries of typeplates mounted above said rollers with their impressionends occupying the same plane or approximately the same plane astheopening: between the r0llers,'and means for rotating one of said rollersto feed the letter between it and the said canceling and type plates,substantially as shown and described. I 2. In a riiail-box, thecombination with a sup porting-f rain'e located on the interior of themail-box, of rollers mounted in said frame, a canceling-plate, and aseries of type-bearing plates mounted above one end of one of saidrollers, a looselyanountbd arbor parallel with said rollers upon whicheaid plates are mounted, a guide attached; to said frame to direct theletters to the rollers, and clock mechanism for rotating oneof saidrollers, substantially as shownand described.

In testimony whereof I affix my-signature in presence of two witnesses.

' FRANcIsw. rnA 'Ea.

\Vitnessesi R. J. McGA rY, A. J. FIonINI.

